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• Very Funny Comedy ! Above Average Buddy Fare ! posted on 31 Aug 2009

  Deftly directed by Todd Philips, "The Hangover", four friends go to Vegas for a one nite bachelor fling, and end up trying to remember the missing 12 hours, and what happened to their friend Doug.Buddy films come and go, but mostly go, what makes this vehicle work are the story telling, some in flashback form, video and first -person accounts. Subtley hilarious are the way the story unfolds, somewhat like a good mystery, with hilarious twists and turns at every corner. Phil Wenneck(Bradley Cooper), the teacher and voice of reason, who constantly urges his comrades into committing outrageous and stupid acts.Stu Price (Ed Helms) dentist who wants to be called "DR.",involved in a no-win relationship where his is totally subservient and repressed.Alan Garner(Zach Galifianakis) as the left of center of Forrest Gump, who lives in a somewhat distorted reality. Doug Billings(Justin Bartha) groom to be who disappears, and becomes the central focus of the film.Each character plays off each other extremely well, and makes for a very funny and pleasing film.Trying to recover the missing time-line , each clue leads to plots twists galore ! There is one question that is never resolved, where did the "chicken" come from ? Enjoy ! Adult humor !

• First time I've walked out of a movie.... posted on 31 Aug 2009

  in over a decade. And here's why. This movie is nothing more than a ripoff (although the producers would call it a "homage") of 50 or so funnier films made decades ago. Have you seen Tommy Boy? See it again in this movie. Seen Bachelor Party? See it again in this movie. Seen Animal House? See it again in this movie. Actually, let me rephrase that. See those movies instead because they have some genuine laughs. I laughed a total of 2???!!!!!! times in the hour and 20 minutes I was there and then left during the "Rain Man" sequence. And the cast. Apart from Ed Helms, are there really any actors in this movie. And the way people are raving about Zach whats his name? Both he and Jack Black should pledge never to do anything but cartoon voice-overs ever again, because neither of them are funny. I only paid 4 dollars at a discount cinema to see this. Do yourself one better, and download for free. You'll be happy you did.

• It's okay, but if you've been bombarded by the ads you've mostly already seen it posted on 31 Aug 2009

  I was wary of seeing this, because I've really disliked Todd Phillips previous films, which include Starsky & Hutch and Old School. I just find them tremendously poorly written and directed. And, yes, that does matter, even in a comedy. Timing is everything, and Phillips hasn't any timing. The reason I did go see this movie is for one of its actors, Zach Galifanakis, one of the funniest comedians of today. Bonus points for Ed Helms, who was probably the best of his generation of Daily Show correspondents. Galifanakis is one of the most oddball guys around, with a low-key style that's definitely a breath of fresh air in an industry now lead by Dane Cook. So does he overcome Phillips general horribleness? Yes. Well, he does. He runs away with the movie without trying. The movie doesn't triumph in the end, though. I have to admit, that's due a lot to the fact that the ads for this film have been relentless. The first trailer gives away about 70% of the movie's best jokes. And I was watching The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien most of Friday morning on Hulu, and the ads there filled me in on about 15% more of the jokes. So, yeah, they gave away about 90% of the jokes in the ads. And of the remaining 10%, there's only maybe one gag that floored me. This movie will definitely play best to those who haven't heard anything about it. Trying to judge it objectively, as if I hadn't seen all the ads, I'd still say that a ton of jokes fall flat anyway. Like I said, timing, and Phillips doesn't have any. He likes to continue on for too long a lot of the time. I also greatly disliked the movie's lead, Bradley Cooper. I guess it's not too big of a problem, as Galifanakas is never upstaged by him. Nor is Helms, even if he doesn't get the best material. Cooper is there, I think, to draw in women. He's the kind of guy women love and men hate. In short, he's great looking, but a total jerk. The film tries to play him off as a semi-sensitive man when all is said and done, but I never bought it.

• A road tripping bachelor party to Vegas, baby, Vegas. posted on 31 Aug 2009

  From a mixed bag of Hollywood staples (the night out in Vegas, the morning after the night before, the loss of a friend inconveniently close to an imminent deadline) Todd Phillips creates a genuinely hilarious comedy that places just as much importance on the unravelling of the "forgotten" events than it does on the laughs along the way.Bradley Cooper plays Phil (laid-back and cool), Justin Bartha plays Doug (under the thumb of his unpleasant girlfriend) and Zach Galiafianakis plays Alan (a crazy . . . . lone wolf who now feels like he has a wolf pack) and it is these three men who take their buddy Stu (played by Ed Helms) to Vegas just before his wedding day. It's going to be the night they never forget but, of course, ends up being the night they can't actually remember. Everything is made worse by the fact that Phil, Doug and Alan realise they have actually lost Stu . . . . . . . and the start time of the wedding just keeps getting closer.The reason I really liked this movie so much (and I was actually expecting to be underwhelmed after hearing all of the praise heaped upon it) was mainly thanks to it's impressive mixture of intelligence and stupidity. Galiadfianakis steals the show as Alan and most of his comments are the funniest of the entire film although to explain them out of context would simply leave them looking flat and unfunny. Whether it's concerning hungry tigers, holocaust rings, inappropriate cursing, babies, strippers or many other subjects covered in the film's running time it's often hilarious to hear the conversations between these guys as they veer between the sublime and ridiculous. Well, actually just the ridiculous and ridiculous.Throwing in such varied components as Mike Tyson, a naked Asian, a stun-gun display, Phillip's regulars the "Dan band", a hilarious Rain Man moment, the aforementioned tiger, some poor dental work, a baby possibly named "Carlos" and the kind of spontaneous wedding that could only happen in Vegas and you have so much packed into this comedy that you really could not wish for any more. It even provides a load of crowd-pleasing laughter as the end credits role, pretty much hilarious from start to finish.See this if you like: Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Road Trip, Swingers.

• Bland, insipid, unoriginal and frankly a waste of everybody's time. posted on 31 Aug 2009

  ***MINOR SPOILERS***Why can't America produce decent comedy any more?I mean seriously. This is the country that gave us the Blues Brothers, Dr. Strangelove, Some Like It Hot, Airplane and even Blazing Saddles. Why can't it be done today?The Hangover is a prime example of missed timing and poor delivery, the worst offender by far being Zach Galifianakis, playing the part of the oddball Alan.Now the guys I saw this film with tell me they loved it which goes to show how subjective humour is, but to me Zach really didn't seem to give a damn on the set. His performance is flat, he really seems to have no sense of comedic timing and manages to utterly flatten almost every scene he is unwise enough to open his mouth in. However, in the spirit of fairness I'll note that his character exists for only two reasons:1) To play as the dork come good / Rain Man savant at a crucial but blatantly telegraphed point, and2) To be the odd-man-outsider and obligatory gross-out characterIn the first of these he succeeds well enough - it's not exactly a revelation in the plot when it happens and Heather Graham steals the scene with a knowing piece of over-acting. In the second role... oh dear gods no. Just... no.As for the rest of the cast, well they struggle gamely with insipid characters, flat direction and sub-Dude Where's My Car scripting.The film plays essentially as a series of loosely connected sketches. Some hit, some miss but none ever reaches a real crescendo, it all feels hackneyed and, well, unoriginal.In summary, it isn't a terrible film, but it isn't good either. It's just dull and that is a real failing in a comedy.Worth having on if you're with mates and drunk. I can't recommend it otherwise. Oh and there is a sequel in development. I can't express my enthusiasm. Really.

• Sometimes everything is done RIGHT in a movie! posted on 31 Aug 2009

  Simply put, The Hangover gets everything right. First, the movie is hilarious. Second, the direction, script, and comedic timing are spot on. This is one of those movies that guys in their 30's and 40's can relate to very easily. So many of us have either been in or known friends who've been in situations like this only to relive these experiences later in life as our "You won't believe it story". As someone who rarely takes time to comment on films, I have to say "what a great job!" to the director and all the other cast and crew for really getting all the elements to come together so well. From the choice of actors to the cinematography, editing and score, this film made me laugh over and over again, while appreciating how well all the talented folks who worked on this movie did such an outstanding job. I can't remember when I've gone to see a movie more than once, and I've seen this one 5 times! This is extremely rare for me. Don't wait for the DVD go see it now, but I will buy the DVD. I can't wait to see the deleted scenes and extras like director commentary on this. Thank you for making a classic!!!!!

• Pretty much a composite of every wild,bachelor party story ever told;still very funny posted on 29 Aug 2009

  On a balls-out,let-it-all ride Bachelor party trip to Vegas,friends Stu(Ed Helms,unleashed at long last here to full comedic effect),Phil(Bradley Cooper,a career that's appeared out of nowhere to become money in the bank)and future in-law Alan(Zach Gallifinakis,in my mind the biggest scene thief of this show) run into one small problem after a night of inspired debauchery:the guest of honor,groom-to-be Doug(Justin Bartha,who's sorta there for the film)is missing. And now,three guys whose various poor or short-sighted judgments have left them disoriented and in some legal trouble,must combine their wits to go find their friend and future husband-to-be in an economy of time and an odd,sometimes disturbing set of clues left in wake to help them.Director Todd Phillips,expanding upon the "bad boys being bad boys" formula that was modestly offered with star power to back it in Old School,now goes for a slightly more modest cast(from Will Ferrell,Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson to Helms,Bartha,Gallifinakis and Cooper)but a more ambitious,raunchier(if that can be believed)and adventurous story to make this largely funny,sometimes hard to believe comedy. A deft usage of actors in supporting roles--among them the now underused Heather Graham as a pleasant,bubbly single mom of infant,who just happens to be a stripper and escort;Ken Jeong as the wiry,foul-tempered and quite possibly gay Asian mobster who has it in for the heroes;Rachael Harris as Stu's brittle,domineering bitch of a girlfriend;and Mike Tyson as,get this,Mike Tyson--highlight this tour de force,and that's not even to mention the near cameos as some not-too-lightweight-themselves talents as Jeffrey Tambor(as the Bride and Alan's dad),Bryan Callen(as a thick-accented wedding chapel proprietor),Sasha Barresee(mostly in one-note fret mode as the unravelling bride-to-be),Mike Epps(as a discombobulated drug dealer),Rob Riggle(as a uniform cop,one of Vegas' NOT finest)and Cleo King(as his equally inept and cruel partner).The summary line notes that this movie,as funny ands sometimes shocking(stay for the credits and try not to be caught at least a little off guard!)as this film is,at its core it is little more than a compendium of wild stories that guys have spun,whether based in truth or no,set around giving their buddies and/or enduring their last night of un-wedded fun. So while the originality of this particular movie isn't all that remarkable,the set-up,follow-through and denouement of it is! Good,raunchy,raucous fun for anyone(guys in particular)who appreciate good,solid immature tomfoolery before settling down and "becoming mature". Perfect film-going for summer!

• Hollywood Neo Reviews: The Hangover posted on 29 Aug 2009

  Tagline: Most probably the funniest movie of the year… Review by Neo: It's been a long time coming, since I have encountered a genuine comedy that actually makes you laugh out loud at the cinemas. It is also been a while, since I can recall a Hollywood movie that actually got me laughing from start to finish. Nice shock and an excitement movie to finish off a hangover weekend on a Sunday Night. The trio (or foursome if you must include the one on the roof for the majority of the flick) performs in an almost faultless manner. All the more, the three cannot be more different, one is with serial player looks, one is just a dentist and the other is a brother in law who is just plain fat. So much so that the movie didn't seem like a movie, as the characters are simple and easy to relate to, as the audience goes along the ride with them, rather than simply sit and watch.The movie goes like this: 4 guys go on a bachelor party two days just before the wedding. Basically the destination is Las Vegas and before you know it, they are on a rooftop not knowing that the drink they are about to cheers is actually drugged. And so, they woke up in the villa of Caesar hotel, with the following items, a baby in the wardrobe, a tiger in the toilet (yes, literally), a stripper as a wife and the most of all, they lost the groom. So begins the journey of the three who are totally wasted and do not remember a thing, as they stumble here and there to the line of finding a friend.Usually flicks like these ones, the best jokes are already in the trailer, but somehow, Hangover, does not contain just a couple of laughs, but rather enough laughs to make your stomach burst. The fat guy (played by (Zach Galifianakis) is just so down to earth that it is funny and one of the best lines is certain the Caesar one. Basically he asks "so have Caesar actually lived in this palace?" Sure, it is a damn stupid question, but the audience can so feel that he is serious about it, that make it more funny than it should be. The guy with player looks (played by the guy Bradley Cooper, who got Scarlett Johansson on her knees in He is Just Not That in You) is cool and the way he interacts with others is just seamlessly fun to watch. Likewise, the film cannot be complete without the dentist (Ed Helms). The moment his tooth came out and married a stripper, he is just a stand down funny guy to endure.You must praise the director (Todd Phillips) for the perfect comic timing; a film like this can so easily go the wrong track and go the route down the path of films like Hot Chick, but luckily the fun is more on the scale of American Pie or Kumar Castle flick. His focus on the characters and allows them to act and interact and play off each other as though they are really friends is really a joy to watch. Another examples, is the enjoyable cameo appearance by Heather Graham, who plays the stripper who married the dentist. Her line: "That is so Doug!" works even though she only just met them the night before. Now that's a sign of cinema magic.All in all, Hangover is a joy to watch, a rare piece of cinematic gem, adding to the mixture of brilliant chemistry between the co-stars, the liveliness of nightlife in Vegas and evolution of down to earth comedy. It is a shame that not everyone will relates to the characters, but somehow, I got a feeling that most of good mates and I included embracing it. Coming off a trip from the wine district of Hunter Valley where me and my mates, tasted almost all the wines within the 9 wineries along the way. Hangover is really and is most probably the best comedy of 2009 and if you go in the cinemas with a relaxed mindset, I am sure that it will make you smile a little, laugh a little and enjoy life a little more … (Neo 2009) I rate it 9/10

• Shocked beyond belief. There should be punishment for making things like this posted on 29 Aug 2009

  Wow, this is just the worst movie I have ever seen. Everything failed and I did not even smile once. It was so full of clichés, bad actors and over-the-top BS that I was tempted to exit the cinema, for the first time in my life. I would have if I didn't go there with friends.It's predictable, boring and a complete waste of time. The actors overact almost every scene and some of them are embarrassing to watch. I particularly disliked the guy who was always being an asshole towards the others as he seemed to be a complete douche and a waste of air. The guy named Alan was overacting in a way that is hard to describe. The one with glasses was boring and dull and the last one we didn't really see that much, which I am grateful for.This is just dick-humor, and a bad attempt at that even. This movie is a waste of money and everybody involved deserves some sort of torture directed towards their lower region.I am in shock. Even things like Epic Movie is better than this.

• Hilarious posted on 29 Aug 2009

  This film is without doubt the funniest film I have seen in my 28 years of existence. I have found most comedies over the last couple of years to be extremely overrated (especially Seth Rogen movies) and I did start to worry that I didn't have a sense of humour but this film proves that I was right and all the other comedies that have been made recently were wrong. The casting is absolutely spot on and I couldn't fault a single performance. Highly recommended and I believe for the first time in my life I shall be willing to endure another hangover! The ending was also very clever and left audiences in the theatre cheering and clapping at the final credits.

• This movie uses a formula that is rarely used in comedies posted on 29 Aug 2009

  This movie takes a familiar plot and turns it on its head. You don't see the bachelor party. You see the guys wake up with no recollection of what happened. Their hotel "villa" where they wake up is trashed and includes a tiger, a chicken and a baby. The groom-to-be is missing. You don't know what happened and neither do they. You just know that something crazy happened. As the guys try to piece together clues to find their friend, they encounter the consequences of their crazy, intoxicated behavior. They are just as shocked as the audience as they encounter the people they dealt with the night before, when they unknowingly consumed a powerful drug. They have a strict time deadline to find their friend as the wedding is two days after the party, one day after the hangover. So every turn they take gets more outrageous since you don't know how they know these people that know them and either hate them and want to hurt them, or love them for reasons they don't know. Eventually, things start to add up, but only after the guys encounter situations that are completely bizarre. The guys are relatively stereotypical--the nerd who is whipped and uptight, the stud who has a bit of a chip on his shoulder, and the weirdo who makes everyone uncomfortable. None of them is ready to deal with the trouble that they created while drugged, so they are freaking out with what they encounter, and the audience empathizes with them because we all have had that night where we have done something we regret while under the influence. Only it seems these guys have messed with some really crazy people. This movie moves from laugh to laugh consistently, and you don't know how far it will go. The chemistry with the very different characters keeps getting better. At the end, you finally get to see what happened to set these events into motion. At that point, you realize these guys were just extremely drugged-up guys who were trying to have a night to remember and were so messed up that they did some pretty stupid things. This movie is great fun and a bit uncomfortable for those who have had nights where they have done things they don't remember.

• Our Doug ain't black… posted on 29 Aug 2009

  Someone told me not that long ago that the 2003 film Old School was the f****** bomb. And Todd Phillips' Old School is moderately a winner for IMDb users, I saw it and damn, I liked better the other two comedies of its director Todd Phillips that I had seen (Starsky & Hutch and School for Scoundrels) which, by the way, are usually paned by IMDb users (not to mention by professional critics, especially Phillip's 2006 remake of a British 1960 picture). Now, this year Phillips came with The Hangover, it had its US theatrical release a couple of months ago, on 5 June 2009 to be exact, and boy is it a winner for users and professional critics (plus a great money maker), for everything I had to see The Hangover, last Friday finally arrived to my city and boy did I laughed a couple of days ago, last Sunday to be exact, at the theater. If you are one of those angry IMDb's top 250 buffs (I'm not a really big follower and I think the other times I have commented about the top 250 were when Nolan's Dark Knight reached the first position and when WALL*E had a place in the top 10) that are always like "good film, but why is it part of the awesome top 250?" or like "why this film is not in the top?" you may be wondering if this film deserves its place in the list of 250 best films for the users (right now it is the #191), I can say to those that who knows, who cares, The Hangover is a film that, in the way Old School didn't, lived up to all the praise and, like I already said, I really laughed with the time in Las Vegas of Phil (Bradley Cooper), Doug (Justin Bartha), Stu (Ed Helms…kind of looks like McLovin) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis).And as is tradition these folks went to Las Vegas for Doug's bachelor party, for us is not really a problem the fact that we went to Las Vegas with our main characters and basically missed the party time, certainly not a problem since for us there's fun before and after the crazy party time but for our main characters (I add, Doug will get married with Alan's sister Tracy, played by Sasha Barrese, and Doug's best friends are Stu and Phil) is a problem but no they didn't went to Las Vegas and missed completely of the crazy fun time, actually and mostly just apparently they had a really f****** crazy night and that "apparently" is actually the big problem since our characters simply do not remember a single thing the morning after the big Vegas night, not to mention that Doug ain't around. Of course the guy who may be not be as funny as the others (Bartha) is nowhere to be seen almost the entire film, it's a hangover only with the funny guys and certainly not the usual hangover. They, Stu, Phil and Alan, wake up not remembering a thing and just wondering why a tiger and a baby are in their suite and stuff, it's all a mystery, they must find Doug but pretty much every time there's a little peace after putting some pieces together a damn big crazy thing comes to make more f****** unbelievable their secret Vegas anecdote (sure they met Mike Tyson, and his tiger, but…) and certainly more f****** funny! Heather Graham, Ken Jeong, Mike Tyson, Mike Epps, hell even when Bartha, the may not be as funny as the other main guys, returns or better said is found he is really hilarious! Red Doug!

• Top 250? Are you kidding me?! posted on 29 Aug 2009

  Well, yesterday I went to the cinema with my friends, and all of us wanted to see this movie, because, you know, it seems like if everybody loves it.I thought I'd have a big time and so, but, the beginning of the movie was incredibly un-funny. 'No big deal' I thought 'The movie is gonna get better'. But it didn't. The movie never got better.It was almost boring. I did enjoy some parts, the movie really made me laugh twice and smile a lot, but that's all.I never explode in laughs or whatever. So I think this is not a pretty cool comedy either.Seriously, the movie is not 'that bad', but God, when I came to IMDb and saw it in the Top 250 I was so impressed. This movie doesn't deserve it.

• I had such a good time watching The Hangover posted on 29 Aug 2009

  The classical stag-party has always been a popular subject in sexual comedies.The Hangover makes an innovative twist setting the story on the day after the bachelor party.The result is an excellent comedy which made me have a great time.The Hangover resulted to be much better than what I expected because of its sober tone and ingenious screenplay,which exaggerates enough to making us laugh,at the same time it tells us a very interesting story which is well structured.I like to finally see a comedy which does not forget to endorsing the laughs with a solid story.The movie uses elements we have seen on other comedies (like the prostitute with a good heart or the expensive car of the father-in-law they have to take special care) but they are used on a natural way,and they are well implemented to the story.But I think the best element from this movie is the brilliant cast.Director Todd Phillips made the good decision of selecting a solid cast with excellent instincts for comedy.I also appreciated the fact that the actors are not Hollywood stars,because that makes the situations from the movie more realistic.It would have been very easy (and commercially less risky) to hire Vince Vaughn,Owen Wilson,Ben Stiller or Dane Cook,but I really appreciate Phillips did not fall on that trap,because if he did that,the situations portrayed in The Hangover would not have felt so real.I also appreciated that besides all the rudeness from the jokes,The Hangover has good moments of human warmth and friendship.I took an enormous surprise with this brilliant comedy,and I gave it a very enthusiastic recommendation to anyone who wants to have a memorable and hugely funny time.

• The Hangover is perhaps the funniest movie of the year posted on 27 Aug 2009

  Well, I finally got to see the comedy sleeper of the summer: The Hangover. In this one, three groomsmen (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zack Galifianakis) are looking for the about-to-be-wed friend (Justin Bartha) after an alcohol-induced bachelor party in Las Vegas. This leads to so many weird twists and turns that listing them here doesn't do them justice. Let's just say a certain boxer is involved as well as a tiger, a baby, and an accidental marriage of one of the groomsmen. Many lines and scenes are both cringe and laugh-inducing enough that I had a pretty good time throughout. By the way, I recommend you stay for some of the ending credit sequence. And I definitely recommend you watch this quite most hilarious and at times touching movie, The Hangover.

• Couldn't find a meter, but here's four bucks … The Hangover posted on 27 Aug 2009

  The success of Old School pretty much vaulted Todd Phillips onto the A-list for comedy directors. We waited and waited for his second hit, but only got the mediocre Starsky and Hutch and, what I can only imagine as disappointing, School for Scoundrels. The Hangover lives up to the exorbitant amount of praise being tossed around everywhere; the buzz is running rampant online and rumors of a sequel have already started months before the film is even released. Movies pertaining to the alcohol induced shenanigans that can occur at a bachelor party two days before the wedding—in Vegas no less—always bring something funny to the table. The Hangover, however, trumps them all on sheer absurdity, craziness, and all-around hilarity.Doug is about to marry the girl of his dreams, a woman with wealth, but also a family that seems grounded in reality. It is a couple days before the nuptials and Doug is on his way to Vegas for a night of fun with his two best friends and soon-to-be brother-in-law. This foursome is such a mixed bag that you believe them to all be real friends. Doug is the successful, who knows what, (we sadly learn very little about his character as he is a mere pawn for the evening to occur); Phil is the married teacher that hates his life, marriage, and children in general; and Stu is the nerdy doctor—sorry, dentist—without a backbone, but who you know can be wild when a few drinks have been imbibed. As for Alan, the bride-to-be's brother, he is the wild card of the bunch. Only having met Phil and Stu a few times and a bit off in the head—he is not a "rah-tard" though—you never know how he may interact with the others, nor what he may do or say about his wolfpack brothers.The evening starts with the four going to the hotel's roof to take a shot of Jager and toast the groom on one last night of partying. It is right after this exchange that Phillips brings us to the next morning: Stu minus a tooth, Alan without pants and in the company of a tiger, and Phil with no recollection that he was in the hospital sometime during the night. Well, I don't want to knock Phil too much; no one remembers anything of what happened, nor can they find Doug. In fact, rather than their friend, they find a baby crying in the closet. Amidst the strewn-about debris, smoking chair, and random chicken, the boys realize that they have less than 48 hours to find the groom and get him to his wedding. The adventure that commences takes them on a journey through the many locations they visited the night before, compiling a timeline while allowing the audience to enjoy the laughs that come with the evidence of what happened and the reactions to it all from the threesome. Throw in a newly married stripper; a gay Asian with crimeworld pull, angry and naked from being trapped in the trunk of a car; a kidnapping; a stolen police car; and yes, Mike Tyson singing Phil Collins, and you can only imagine the uproarious laughter that will be emitting from your body.But it is Galifianakis who surprises the most and completely shines as the off-kilter Alan. I'll admit to mostly being turned off by his brand of humor, generally jokes that run on too long and are too dry for their own good, (although he is the best thing in Out Cold). Here, however, it all works beautifully. Even when he risks going too far, like with his wolfpack speech at the beginning, Phillips seems to have been able to cut him to the perfect length in order to maintain the joke and not destroy it. He is a little child—"don't let the beard fool you"—and his innocence and ambivalence to what is going on around him is priceless. His emotions get the better of him, he wants nothing more than to be Cooper's best friend or carbon copy, his delivery of absurd lines is so straight-faced you become as dumbfounded as Stu and Phil, and his props add even more to the character. His satchel, his Blackjack book, and his roofies, among other things, enhance the jokes and the plot. A moment with him and Cooper mimicking Rain Man brings the laughs as does a slo-mo sequence between he and a little boy on a field trip to a police station. When Galifianakis is on screen, you truly have no idea what will happen next.I know I have spoken little about the plot, but really, besides pertaining to three guys trying to remember what happened to them the night before, and where their best friend went, there isn't much else to say. The Hangover could have easily fallen prey to the "SNL" syndrome of just being skit after skit, loosely connected into a story, yet too disjointed to really enjoy, but the cast and crew never let this happen. Bringing in actors like Heather Graham, Rachael Harris, and a scene-stealing performance from Ken Jeong only expand the story rather than derail it. The jokes come so quick and successfully that you have little time to question what is happening, and you are laughing so hard that you are probably missing dialogue anyways. And don't even get me started on Mike Tyson's lisp; he deserves a high-five for sure. The only thing I can say is that you will laugh, because, honestly, who wouldn't enjoy watching a night of excess that went so overboard it's participants can only recall what happened through the X-rated photos on their digital camera? Yes, you do get to see those gems in all their glory during the end credits.

• Funny , Stupid and Crazy posted on 27 Aug 2009

  When i first saw the trailer my friends and i decide to watch the movie. This has to be one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. For anyone who is prudish and can't tell by what the movie is rated or by the title of the movie, don't see. For anyone who has a sense of humor... you have to see this movie!!Funnier than Old School, Wedding Crashers, 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Superbad put together ( maybe im laying it on a little bit) I was not at all expecting it to be this funny... go see it, its worth the money. And Omg i still can believe how hot is Bradley Cooper even in a movie like that he was so funny and handsome like always the whole movie i went was for him. Finally its an hilarious movie , u cant miss this movie!!

• Please tell me what all the fuss is about????????? posted on 27 Aug 2009

  After I saw this movie I rated it 2 out of 10. But after having a further think and discussion about it, I reduced my score to 1 out of 10. Why? This movie is stupid! Most of the time it doesn't make sense. A cop car that's stolen but there's no man hunt for it, a tiger in the bathroom but they're talking about it in the living room like they've had it happen to them previously. Meanwhile the nerdy guy is more scared of his fiancé than the tiger! The hotel finds a bed thrown on a statue but assume it was thrown out of a window, even though they don't have windows?????? What the hell! The tiger is drugged and put into their car to take it back to Mikes place? Have you lifted a tiger lately?? I know they are trying to be funny, but they lost me from the beginning. By the time the photo's are shown at the end I was already over it. Not only that there are absolutely no consequences in the end for any of them. BOOOOOOORRRRIIIINNGGG! "Yeah, lets high five each other" Amazing that Hollywood can produce this crap and promote it so hard, and still make huge dollars. In conclusion, rent Very bad things, now that's a Vegas movie. And if you don't get what's going on in that movie, like one person who called it an evil movie about a homicide........IT'S A BLACK COMEDY!!!

• Todd Phillips' best movie yet!!! posted on 25 Aug 2009

  Similar to actors, when a director puts out several movies that I enjoy (e.g.; Eastwood, Spielberg, Bay, etc.), I tend to follow their projects closely. Not only their current projects, but also their future ones. Phillips is the next great director and his genre is comedies. His first movie I enjoyed was Road Trip (2000) which he then followed with what I considered not only his personal best, but probably the funniest movie of my generation Old School (2003). These were followed by a couple of so-so movies Starsky & Hutch (2004) and School for Scoundrels (2006). These two were not terrible, just not up to par with his prior gems. Well, my friends, Phillips is back and with a bang with The Hangover. Unlike his prior movies, there are no bona fide star, but I can assure you that this movie will launch the four main characters, Cooper, Galifianakis, Helms and Bartha, into stardom. The movie has a simple premise; four friends go to Vegas to celebrate a bachelor party only to have everything go completely wrong. Like that hasn't been done before. But what makes this film special is that from the time you sit down to watch the movie, until the very end (make sure you stay for the credits), you are laughing non-stop. The dialog, the situations, etc. had me laughing hysterically. The other thing that makes this movie great is that even after you leave the theater, you might be watching TV, working or doing some other activity, a couple of lines from the movie will cross your mind and you'll start laughing again. That is what I consider a great movie. When you think about a movie and enjoy it as if you were watching it. Of course the movie is not for everyone, as Phillips tends to push the envelope (some people may consider some of the scenes offensive), but I think it really works. This movie won't win any Oscars, but others will now be following Mr. Phillips' career very closely.

• Took me by surprise posted on 25 Aug 2009

  I as well as my wife truly enjoyed this movie and neither of us expected to. In fact, the entire theater broke up laughing more often than not - and at the appropriate times too. One odd comment is that a family brought their son, perhaps aged 3, to this one and even he laughed at several funny slapstick sort of moments. This kid's laughter caused others like us around him to laugh even more.As a note about kids; this movie definitely earned its R rating. I suppose a 3 year old isn't badly affected by this movie because all the R stuff went over his head, but if you are offended by sex jokes or situations, avoid this one at all costs. Both my wife and I were surprised at how much one can get into an R rating. We thought we'd stumbled into some other rating but then again, I don't know what else their is either.Mostly what's fun about this movie is that it has a good spirit. It's not mean although some of the situations the 'boys' get themselves into can feel pretty tense. If you'll enjoy this movie depends if you have a sense of the absurd as well as if you feel comfortable with openly sexual situations. If you say "No" to either of those, you just can't enjoy this thoroughly modern absurdest comedy.